1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control device, an image forming apparatus, and a control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus including a control device (an information processing unit) that controls driving in a plurality of toner bottle driving devices to and from which corresponding toner bottles filled with toner, which is one example of recording material, can be attached and removed. Each of the toner bottle driving devices causes toner to be discharged from a toner bottle connected thereto (attached thereto) to replenish a toner storing unit with toner.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-157350 discloses an image forming apparatus that includes a toner replenishing device in which two toner bottles are mounted, and can thus continue printing operation with toner being supplied from one of the toner bottles even after the other toner bottle has become empty.
However, there has not been a mechanism by which, when a malfunction occurs in a toner bottle driving device currently in use while the other toner bottle driving devices include a usable (normally functioning) toner bottle driving device, the toner bottle driving device currently in use is switched to the usable toner bottle driving device.